Benefits Of Playing The Piano: Its Easy To Play
Unlike other instruments, the piano is easy to play. There is no physical pain involved with learning to play the piano. When new to the guitar, one must build up calluses on the fingers, and when learning to play a brass or woodwind instrument, one must learn how to use your facial muscles and lips to produce sound. Both are often painful and can dissuade otherwise enthusiastic students from continuing to learn. To play the piano, all you have to do is sit, and press down a key.
Practice And Have Fun
Many things may seem confusing at first when learning piano. Learning how to read sheet music and understanding concepts such as the bass clef, treble clef, flats, sharps, and key signatures may get your head spinning. However, dont get discouraged. You cant know everything immediately. Just find the best learning method for you, and soon youll be playing piano like a pro. All the better if you have friends and family to share your piano playing with.
Practice Playing Piano With Your Left Hand
To learn piano properly, you want to play with both hands. Place your left pinky on the C below middle C . You should have 5 on C, 4 on D, 3 on E, 2 on F, and 1 on G. Now try playing these finger numbers:
3 4 5 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 1 1 3 4 5 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 4 5
If you heard the same tune, you got it right!
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Is It Better To Learn Piano With A Teacher
There are many students who manage to successfully teach themselves how to play piano, but it is much easier to learn from an actual teacher or from an actual curriculum.
The biggest benefit of commencing formal lessons is that there arent any areas of musical theory that might be missed. Theres less chance to develop bad habits that go unmissed.
Why Didnt Charlie Sheen Learn The Instrument
A lot of actors would invest their time, money, and effort into learning the different skills of the character they play. Considering the fact that Sheen was on the show from 2003 to 2011, fans would simply assume that he must have had a lot of time to actually learn how to play the piano, but why didnt he?
First, Sheen says that while the show was ongoing, he had two kids to take care of. This means he doesnt really have the luxury of time that we all thought he did. It might either be that being a parent takes a lot of time or that hed rather spend his time with his kids instead of going to piano classes, and thats totally fine if you ask us.
Additionally, Sheen did not, in fact, think it would be a wise investment of his time and effort. Dont get us wrong. Were not saying that Sheen didnt value the show. Its just that he hadnt had the faintest idea whether or not the show, Two and a Half Men, would keep going. Because of this, he didnt know if he should enroll in piano classes and learn the instrument, only to find that the show wasnt renewed for another season.
Lastly, he was told that when you get older, its harder to learn how to play the piano. Well, we cant argue with that because even younger people would find the instrument challenging. He says that this idea is somewhat frightening to him and that hes used it as an excuse not to learn it.
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Why Was Charlie Sheen Replaced In Two And A Half Men
Unfortunately, Charlie Sheen had a few negative encounters with illegal drugs and alcohol. He dove into these so deep that CBS, the network from which Two and a Half Men aired, deemed that his behavior is dangerous and self-destructive.
He wasnt immediately removed. In fact, the show paused production amidst the 8th season to allow Sheen to attend rehabilitation. This is approximately a year after hes had numerous incidents involving alcohol and drugs.
The show was supposed to resume production on the 2nd month of 2011. However, Sheen went on a rampage in Alex Joness radio station and called Chuck Lorre a charlatan and a clown.
Less than a month after the incident, Warner Bros. Television, the shows distributor and producer, cut ties with Sheen. This is also following felony offenses, as Warner stated, that Sheen was not only obtaining illegal drugs but was actually providing them to other people.
Frequently Asked Questions About Playing Piano Versus Keyboard
Here are some questions many students and parents ask School of Rock when discussing the differences between playing a piano versus a keyboard, and figuring out which instrument will best meet a student’s goals.
CAN YOU LEARN PIANO ON A KEYBOARD?
Yes, learning piano on a keyboard is possible. The layout of keys is identical on both instruments. The songs you learn to play on a piano will transfer directly to a keyboard, and vice versa, with little adjustment needed for small differences in the width of the keys or the amount of pressure needed to play them.
DO A PIANO AND A KEYBOARD SOUND THE SAME?
When comparing the differences between pianos and keyboards, sounds can vary depending on the make and model of each instrument. Many keyboards are designed to make sounds that replicate a piano, but most can also produce a variety of other sounds. These could be sounds like horns, strings, organ, specific types of pianos or electric pianos, drums and percussion, or synthesizers which all can contribute to a live performance.Its worth noting that while pianos and keyboards can sound the same, there is definitely a difference when playing. After all, pianos are large acoustic instruments that produce sounds that can be felt by the player, and often this feeling cannot be replicated by the speakers on a keyboard.
IS LEARNING TO PLAY PIANO ON A KEYBOARD DISCOURAGING FOR STUDENTS?
IS THERE A KEYBOARD THAT IS LIKE A PIANO?
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Would Charlie Sheen Have Learned The Instrument If The Show Kept Going
Well, we mentioned that Charlie Sheen was part of the show from 2003 to 2011. However, Two and a Half Men was actually on air up until 2015. Its just that he was removed from the show in 2011 after the 8th season and was replaced by Ashton Kutcher.
We cant say for certain if Sheen wouldve learned the instrument if the show kept going. After all, his statements about wanting to learn the piano were made in 2005, just two years after the show piloted. This means that even though the show went on for another six years after his claims, he still didnt learn the instrument.
We guess its safe to say that director Chuck Lorre wouldve just let Grant Geissman compose with and play the instrument offstage with Sheen pretending to play it on-screen.
Picking Up Piano Learning As An Adult
The most difficult part of learning to play the piano as an adult is simply time management. Children are often perceived to learn faster, which is not true, it is just that children dont have responsibilities that adults do, or the fatigue of work, bills, or complex adult life. Skoove solves this problem by making sure that you have access to all of the information, lessons, and song catalogue at any time that is convenient for you you dont have to work with a teachers schedule, or travel time to a music school. Your lessons take place when youre ready, at your location, with the same high quality as in person lessons.
Find out more about learning to play the piano as an adult.
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How To Read Music Notation
You know the musical alphabet. Now lets learn how to spell some music!
The first thing you should familiarize yourself with is the grand staff:
Most piano music is written on the grand staff. The grand staff is special to the piano because theres a top and bottom part, usually denoting right and left hands.
Well briefly touch on the parts of the grand staff here, but for a more thorough breakdown, we recommend watching this lesson.
Treble Clef
In general, pianists play notes on the top staff, the one with the treble clef, with the right hand.
Bass Clef
Notes on the bottom staff, the one with the bass clef, are usually played with the left hand.
In each staff , there are five lines with spaces between them. This is where our notes sit.
The higher up we move the lines and spaces, the higher the pitch!
Notes occupy lines and spaces and they all have names. At first, itll feel intimidating to memorize all the notes and their locations, so these acronyms might help.
SPACE NOTES
Treble Clef: Every Good Boy Deserves FriesBass clef: Good Boys Deserve Fries Always
But were going to let you in on a little secret
You dont need to read every single note!
To read music faster, we musicians employ some tips and tricks, such as:
Landmark notes. Pick a few notes on the staff to know really well, such as G in the treble clef. Then, everything else is just in relation to G. For example, a step up from G is A, and the line note below G is E.
Rhythm
Time Signatures
Key Signatures
Start Learning A Piano Song With Chords
You can find the chords for almost any song you want to play online or in a book of songs, whether you want to play classical music or a popular pop song.
Lets take the Beatles song Hey Jude. The first four chords are:
G, A, A, D
The first word of the song, Hey, comes before you play your first chord. The next four chords are:
G, D, A, D
and then the whole pattern repeats.
Youll find that most popular songs only have five or six chords in them. Usually, most of the song has a repeated pattern of four chords.
A lower case m indicates the chord should be minor. If there is nothing after the letter name, then the chord should be major. In other words, if the chord is written as A, its the major A chord. If the name is written as Am instead, its the minor A chord.
How are you doing so far? Practice these chords a lot, and then try singing along. If singing isnt your thing, try asking for a friend to accompany you.
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Famous Piano Players That Will Instantly Inspire You
Even seasoned musicians need a little inspiration every now and then. Discover some of the most famous piano players of all time and learn from their style.
Although there are more than 7500 working parts in a piano, there are some people who can bring it all together and make it sound like one, glorious whole. Playing the piano takes dedication, a commitment to practice and self-improvement.
If youre feeling as though the routine of practice is getting you down, then you can always look to the greats for inspiration. In this post, we are going to look at some of the most famous piano players and learn what made them special.
Playing Chords And Complex Movements In Your Non
The first challenge novice piano players face is the fact that both hands are used while playing. Traditionally the left hand takes care of the bass notes and chords of a song, while the right hand takes care of the melody and higher notes.
While playing, both hands are required to play not only different notes but also in different rhythms and at different times. This is a little bit like that old game where a person tries to rub their stomach and pat their head. It takes a lot of concentration, but its not impossible.
This part of playing the piano can add extra challenges depending on the dominant hand of the student. If they are left-handed, they will need to train their right hand a bit more, and if they are right-handed, they will need to work on the left.
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The Keys Of The Pianos Werent Always The Same
Nobody actually knows why the piano keys were white and black, but there are two theories to explain this fact.
The first one is that the original keys were covered in ivory and ebony, and these are their natural colors.
The second one is that the difference in keys managed to allow pianists to know which keys theyre playing. However, this wasnt always the case.
In the 18th century, the colors were actually reversed.
As a matter of fact, this was the case with all other keyboard instruments used during this period.
Starting To Learn With Basic Songs
Most students get into learning the piano because they want to play their favourite songs. They want to be able to hop up to that free piano in the metro station and wow the other travellers with their incredible rendition of a slowed-down version of Dont Stop Believing . Instead, they might spend weeks mastering Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
This can be a bit of a boring period for piano students, and sometimes this can be the reason they give up.
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How To Use Chord Charts
A chord chart is a document that shows a songs lyrics with the names of chords above the lyrics as the chords change.
Knowing how to read and play from a chord chart will take you far. Thats because these days, you can find the chord chart of almost any pop song on Ultimate-Guitar.com for free.
Major chords are indicated by just their letter, like C for C major or F for F major. Yesterday begins with a simple F major chord.
Minor chords will have a lowercase m, such as the Dm and Em7 chords in Yesterday. You can play a lot of songs with just major and minor chords, but other types of chords add color to music.
Slash Chords
A slash chord, like F/E in Yesterday, means you play the note after the slash as your bass note while your right hand plays the chord F on top.
Seventh Chords
Standard major and minor chords like Em have a root, third, and fifth . Seventh chords like Em7 have an added seventh .
Seventh chords have a dreamier sound and are often used in jazz piano.
Sus Chords
No, sus chords are not suspicious. Sus means suspended and its when you switch out a note for another. So Gsus4 would mean switching out the third for a fourth to form G-C-D.
To learn more chords, check out Read and Play Complicated Chords on the Piano.
Playing The Piano Teaches You Discipline
Playing the piano can be quite challenging. However, practicing frequently and working hard will not only teach you perseverance, but also discipline. Consider the parts of the song you will have to practice over and over again. There is one “magic key” to successfully playing the piano : practice, practice, practice.
Practicing regularly requires discipline. Maybe at the beginning, it will be harder for you. Maybe you have to come up with some little treats to get yourself there. However, slowly but surely, you’ll get used to it, and being disciplined about your practice time won’t be hard at all.
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How Does A Piano Work
How does a grand piano make such a beautiful sound? Piano technician Ara Vartoukian explains by pulling one apart.
In this first episode of How a Piano Works, Vartoukian answers some of the most commonly asked questions about pianos, including why piano keys stick, what the pedals do, and why there are three strings for every note.
Playing The Piano Increases Your Memory Capacity
Playing the piano stimulates your brain. While you learn and play songs, the stimulated areas of your brain become larger and therefore more active. The areas that are responsible for the storage of audio information, particularly, are more developed in musicians than in non-musicians.
So when you play the piano, your ability to memorize audio information increases. The chance of saying something like: “I’m sorry! Maybe you told me, but I really don’t remember⦔ most likely will occur less often.
Isn’t it amazing what playing the piano can do for you? If you’ve always been looking for an excuse to pick up that tricky piano, well, here – now you’ve got more than one.
Start learning piano today
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Where To Go From Here
Buying your first keyboard and not sure where to start? Visit our Keyboard Buying Guide for tips on how to choose the perfect keyboard. School of Rock offers beginning musicians the advice they need for choosing the best sound, action, size, brand, and technological features to get playing and on stage.
Support Your Kids To Learn Piano With Mussila
As mentioned earlier, EdTech is revolutionising the possibilities for educating children. The Mussila Music School is part of this revolution.
Mussila is an award-winning app that gives kids a complete musical education without the need for expensive lessons or even instruments. Mussila uses digital technology to take kids through theory, practice and even composition. The only thing they need is a device and a connection to the internet.
One of the best things about Mussila is that it doesnt need supervision. Its designed to be used autonomously, and kids love it. The app caters to their instinctive need to play while still teaching them a complete curriculum.
Mussila is available for families or schools and is helping to make music education even more accessible.
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